This blog is intended to serve as a repository for issues related to Design and a forum for this designer to share his perspective on the factors that have and are shaping the profession.
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Contact: myroncurtissmith@hotmail.com

Monday, April 27, 2009

The opportunity for designer's to address real world problems with beautiful solutions is a wonderful thing when the results are as nice as the Cookstove by Envirofit.

According to Popular Science magazine, "more than half the world’s population cooks over open fires or small charcoal or biomass stoves. These burn fuel incompletely, producing carbon monoxide and smoke that cause 1.5 million deaths a year. Envirofit’s Cookstove burns the same easily found wood but does so more completely to cut emissions by more than 80 percent and use half as much fuel."

Serious Materials a California based company is creating products that will place it in a leadership position within the Green Revolution. Should I say buy stock in the company, now!

In 2008 it received a green tech award from Poplar Science magazine, and today received recognition by the Obama administration by leveraging stimulus funds to expand their commitment to supporting the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) weatherization program.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Here is a book written by the CEO of IDEO, arguably the worlds most successful design consultancy, on the subject of Design Thinking.

"Tim Brown, shows how the techniques and strategies of design belong at every level of business.

The myth of innovation is that brilliant ideas leap fully formed from the minds of geniuses. The reality is that most innovations come from a process of rigorous examination through which great ideas are identified and developed before being realized as new offerings and capabilities.

This book introduces design thinking, the collaborative process by which the designer’s sensibilities and methods are employed to match people’s needs with what is technically feasible and a viable business strategy. In short, design thinking converts need into demand. It’s a human-centered approach to problem solving that helps people and organizations become more innovative and creative."

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

The selection has been made on the design that will house a museum devoted to presenting the history and culture of African Americans to the world. The winning design selected from six finalist, is a structure that fits comfortably into the architectural landscape of the national mall, as well as capturing the textures of the experiences and aspirations of a people. The winning team of Freelon Group/Adjaye Associates & David Brody Bond in association with SmithGroup led by David Adjaye.

The land on which the museum will sit is situated caddy-corner to the George Washington monument. Follow the link below to view the five other finalist.

Article: Pursuing Public Space...Studies of David Adjaye"In accepting the commission, Mr. Adjaye described it as “the dream of my career” and said that the group’s concept for the building — an elevated “mound” dominated by a two-tiered structure that he called a “celebration crown” — focused on the idea of a canopy or porchlike setting for people “to come as a respite, to come and view, to learn.” He said he believed that the primary spirit behind the building, whose interior will be open to skylights at its top, would be one of praise.

“Throughout the history of African-American struggle and celebration, there are these moments of praise,” he said. “It’s for us a deeply spiritual and powerful culture.” NYTimes

Monday, April 13, 2009

The conversation around the failing printed newspaper industry is another demonstration of the impact of technology causing disruption within an industry. The loss of the journalist as challenger/investigators of truth for the public good is thought to be in danger as well. I am not sure that is the case, but that question I will leave for another to explore. But, what comes to mind is the other industries that have faced similar challenges as a result of the pace of technological advances in the past thirty years

The auto and music industries are other examples that come to mind, and whose failure to adjust their business models to accommodate emerging opportunities afforded by new technology advances left many companies little choice having ignored the early opportunities to respond.These examples are also mark by successes, companies who were not asleep to the opportunities but used them to expand their markets by providing the consumer greater value perceived or real. (i.e.Toyota with their Hybrid technology; Apple in terms of distributing music digitally through their iPod/iTunes products; Goggle with its ever expanding digital products).

In each case of failure, the focus on short term markers, seems to have cost many of the organizations and in some cases entire industries from prospering during the last thirty years of massive technological evolution.

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Drafted forty years ago this week the document known as Request for Comments (RFC)contains technical and organizational documents about the Internet, including the technical specifications and policy documents produced by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).